The main objective of this study is to undertake an assessment of management of Universal Basic Education in some selected local government areas of Kaduna and Niger States, Nigeria. Specifically, the study intends to determine the relationship between monitoring and supervision of schools, adequacy of funding and adequacy of qualified teachers and effective management of UBE in some selected local government areas in Kaduna and Niger States, Nigeria. Both primary and secondary sources of data were explored. These were presented and analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistical methods. The study revealed that monitoring and supervision efforts have not been effective in ensuring better management of primary schools.
Similarly, the problems of inadequate funding as well as inadequate qualified teachers remained the major issues affecting management of Universal Basic Education in the states under study.
The study found a strong correlation between adequacy of funding, adequacy of qualified staff, effective monitoring and supervision of schools and effective management of Basic Education.
The study recommended that monitoring and supervision efforts needs to be emphasized and adopted as a strategy of enhancing effective management of schools and teachers. More supervisors need to be trained by the Local Government and the frequency of visit needs to be raised. Similarly, the level of funding of Basic Education by all the tiers of government needs to be improved, so as to meet the beach mark as stated by the UNDP of 26% budgeting allocation to the education sector. In addition, more qualified teachers should be employed by the states in order to cope with increasing enrolment of pupils as both Kaduna and Niger states do not meet the minimum requirement of 80% qualified teachers as stipulated by the UBE Act of 2004.
